Just over a month into our preparations for the 2026 NFL Draft, college football programs across the country are hosting pro days to give their players a better chance to showcase what they can do at the next level. These events are interesting to watch as top prospects can prove themselves worthy of early draft picks.
They’re also fun because they help identify lesser-known players who might surprise some at the next level. Over the weekend, UTSA Roadrunners kicker Jaffer Murphy became one of them. At his pro day, Murphy put up some numbers that raised eyebrows, and he did some things no one thought a kicker could do.
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Murphy’s 40-yard dash time was 4.47 and he also completed a 70-yard field goal. Otherwise, Murphy made 12 of 13 field goal attempts from varying distances.
While 40 snaps might not play a huge role in his potential NFL career, the accuracy and kicking power Murphy displayed was impressive, to say the least. There are multiple reports online that Murphy spoke with more than a dozen NFL teams at his pro day, and scouts and teams are trying to determine whether they want to give him a chance in next month’s draft.
While it’s less common for kickers to be selected in the draft and more commonly for them to be signed as undrafted free agents, it’s not unheard of to hear of kickers being passed over in the mid-to-late rounds. Last year, a pair of kickers, Miami’s Andres Borregales and Arizona State’s Tyler Lupp, were drafted in the sixth round, and in 2023, Michigan State’s Jake Moody was drafted in the third round. In fact, the highest draft number for a kicker was in 1966, when Princeton University kicker Charlie Gogolak went to the Washington Redskins with the sixth overall pick in the draft.
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Sebastian Janikovsky was also selected in the first round of the 2000 draft, with the 17th overall pick by the Oakland Raiders. A total of five kickers were selected in the first round of the draft.
So, will Murphy become the sixth kicker to hear his name called in the first round? It seems unlikely, but at this point, don’t be surprised if an NFL team takes a chance on him on the second or third day of the draft.
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This article originally appeared in College Sports Wire: UTSA Roadrunners kicker Jaffer Murphy goes viral after wild pro day
